Great film, but so many questions...

1 and 2) Personally I think they used him because he was easy to use as well as being a bad lawyer in general. A really good lawyer may not have been as easily led to follow a script given to him. I didn't get the impression he was in on it or was fully aware of what was going on. Maybe he owed King Benny something and didn't ask questions?

3) I haven't watched it in a while but I think the viewer may be led to believe Father Bobby had personal experience with the home, that he knew before they were sent away how dangerous the place could be. I don't think Benny knew all the details but he definitely knew the real reason his brother was dead was far from innocent.

4) He used them as play things, the guards all seemed to drink a lot at the time too and the movie doesn't tell us how many others there were other than the four but one can reasonably assume it wasn't just them, be the story fact or fiction. Their names wouldn't have been all that important to him.

5) That one is a mystery :) definitely one of the four! John, I think.

The book answers all these questions and is an amazing read. Almost puts the film to shame and I highly recommend it. Fair warning thought: they don't gloss over what happens in Wilkinsons in the book. It's all very plainly written and a difficult read.

1) Is Danny Snyder (Dustin Hoffman) "in" on the scam taking place, or does he just assume that King Benny is trying to protect the boys, and that's why he has given him a list of all the proper questions to be asked to ensure that Tommy and John will be found innocent?

Yes he is in on it.

2) Why is Michael so adamant about Danny being the defense lawyer? He says it's because Danny's something of a hack and a drunk, and that they need the situation to seem hopeless for Tommy and John. But wouldn't a really good lawyer be the better way to go? A better defense attorney would make the "not guilty" verdict seem much more plausible than a lousy alcoholic lawyer winning the case.

Danny was once an excellent lawyer and in the book he is actually quite competent. King benny makes him quit drinking and he studies the script and works with it like a pro.

3) Fat Man and King Benny seem to know exactly what happened to the boys at Wilkinson (beatings, rape, etc.) I thought that the four of them had never told anyone, and that Father Bobby was the first person to be told the whole story. Not even Carol knew all of the details. Do Benny and Fat Man know about all the details, or are they just on board with defending John and Tommy because of the whole "neighborhood respect" angle?

Mainly the respect angle but they are actually very close to the boys and saw the difference in them once they came out. It wasn't hard for them to conclude that something bad happened to them. Once the trial started they knew enough to know that the guards were the bad thing even if they didn't know the details.

4) How does Ralph Ferguson not remember Michael, Tommy, or John? I mean, if he didn't recognize their faces, which he probably wouldn't because their adults now, he must at least recognize their names. Especially considering that Michael is the prosecutor of the case. Ferguson must have heard his name mentioned somewhere, and thought it odd that Michael would be trying to put Tommy and John away.

It is heavily implied in the book that the four boys where four of many over many years. Plus the guards were young themselves and were heavy drinkers.

5) Who is the father of Carol's baby? Is it one of the four guys, or not?

John is. It's never explicitly stated but it's quite clear from the evidence. Especially in the film where they use the same actor who played young John to play his son.

4) How does Ralph Ferguson not remember Michael, Tommy, or John? I mean, if he didn't recognize their faces, which he probably wouldn't because their adults now, he must at least recognize their names. Especially considering that Michael is the prosecutor of the case. Ferguson must have heard his name mentioned somewhere, and thought it odd that Michael would be trying to put Tommy and John away.

^^ Regarding this question,

He didn't remember initially because it was such a long time ago, and he probably abused several other boys. I think he did remember them eventually, as they show a shot where he looks at Tommy and John and, thereafter, sees them as children again.